By Roger Chartier

Local New Bedford, Ma. History
1750 - 1777 In Chronological Order

1750
Joseph Russell lll had built a house at the top of present day Walnut street.

Nearby was what is today the intersection of Union Street and County Streets. It had a red gate opening to his cart path along present day Union Street leading down to the sea.

Near the shore, he had built a try-works for rendering whale oil.

1700 to 1750
Land purchased by the Russell family becomes the area eventually to be known as New Bedford.
The land purchased was along the Acushnet River and the hills up above the river.

Joseph Russell lll did a lot of planning and development of the area.

1758
The town was compelled to furnish it's quota of soldiers for the invasion of Canada.

Eleven settlers and one Indian were conscripted and marched to Lake George.

This was to continue as the records show several expeditions for Her Majesty's Service over the next years.

1760
James Smith was granted the privilege of living in the work-house for two years for the sum of $5. per annum.

For this, he was to repair the house and take care of all the poor and idle persons that shall be sent to him to keep them for labor."

1760
An early settler and land owner Joseph Russell created a plan for the village of what is now New Bedford.

Another settler was John "Jack" Loudon, from Pembroke who was a caulker by trade.
His intention was to carry on ship building.
He bought the first land sold from the Russell homestead farm.

It was one acre just south of what is Union Street and Water street. The deed was drawn up by Jireh Willis Esq.
The Louden house was the first house erected within the limits of the then contemplated village built on the west side of South Water Street at the head of Commercial Street.

The other residents in the area did not live within the bounds of the planned village.
Those people had their farmhouses for the most part on the west side of County street and each had 800 acre farms running from the river up to County Road and then on to the west about an equal distance.
The lots were lined up from Clark's Point to the head of the river.

At one time, he kept a tavern. His house was burned by the British in 1778.

John Allen who was a house carpenter came and built a home on the corner of Union and Water streets.

In 1762 Elnathan Sampson came to set up a blacksmith shop on the opposite corner.

1761
In the spring of that year, Benjamin Tabor bought land nearby and built a structure for boat building and block-making.

He was the first to build a whaleboat in New Bedford.

His home was on the North Side of Union Street, the first one just below North Water Street.

It was built by Gideon Mosher and bought by Taber in 1765.

1762
Elnathan Sampson a blacksmith from Wareham, purchased a lot of land south of that owned by John Loudon and north-east of Union and Water Streets.

Along County Road (now County Street) were the farm houses of Joseph russell, Caleb Russell, Ephraim Kempton, and Samuel Willis while on the riverfront was a single wharf and a try-house.

1762
As per a quaint law selectmen should be advised of any new residents or new members of the family residing in the homes of the inhabitants. Here is a copy from the town record.

"To Humphrey Smith, Walter Spooner, and Ezekell Cornell the present selectmen of ye town of Dartmouth Greeting:
"This is to notify you as the law directs that I have taken in my house a young woman to dwell in said town named Elizabeth Baggs, daughter of John Baggs, of Newport in the Colony of Rhode Island, &c.

She came to reside with me this day.
Given under my hand this 30th of the sixth month called June 1762, pr. William Anthony.
"received the above July 14th, 1762 Humphrey Smith, one of the selectmen of Dartmouth."

1765
Joseph Rotch born in 1704 in Salisbury, England, became a Nantucket whaling merchant.

In 1765, he bought ten acres of land from Joseph Russell III and moved his business to what was to become New Bedford. He brought his experience, money and technology.

His first home here was on the west side of Water street just south of William and was burned by the British in 1778

Joseph Rotch, working with his sons changed for the better a lot of the ways things were done and helped to put New Bedford in the forefront of the whaling industry.

1765
The sloops Nancy, Polly, Greyhound and Hannah, all from 49 to 60 tons owned by Joseph Russell, Caleb Russell and William Tallman, were employed in the whalefishery.

Seth Russell House was constructed.

1767
The first ship built here was launched. It was built beneath buttonwood trees near where Hazards Wharf was later located.
The ship was owned by Francis Rotch and called The " Dartmouth".
It's first trip carried whale oil to London.
Later it was one of the ships in the Boston Tea Party incident.

1768
In this year there were in the township 772 dwelling houses, 158 tan, slaughter and other workhouses, thirty grist, fulling and saw mills and one iron works, 525 horses,797 oxen, 1965 cows and heifers, 7,108 goats and sheep, 383 swine,10,236 1/2 acres of pasturage land, 2,124 acres of tillage land.

There were twenty-one persons between the ages of fourteen and forty-five who were held as slaves or as the record reveals "servants for life".
There were 2,933 tons of vessels of every kind, 16, 400 superficial feet of wharves.

The number of rateable polls in 1765 was 1,033. In 1768, it was 1,148, in 1773 1,231, and in 1774, 1,240.
Total valuation of estates real and personal: In 1765, 31,710 pounds, in 1773, 44,574 pounds, in 1774 44,560 pounds.

The township was in good and prosperous condition when the American Revolution started.

1769
Captain Cornelius Grinnell's house was built on the west side of Water Street between Madison and Walnut Streets. See the picture in the right column.

1773
It was voted that the workhouse of Dartmouth be properly endowed with suitable utensils for said house and to regulated according to law.

It was also voted to raise by way of tax the sum of Eighty seven pounds, four shillings and eight pence to pay for the cost of building the New Workhouse in "Bedford in Dartmouth.

The building was on the South side of Sixth Street between Spring and School Street.
This event was the first time "Bedford" is mentioned in Dartmouth record.

See information about the later alms house and poor farm at Clark's Point.

1774
July 18th A committee was formed and met to discuss taxation. They formally voted to make a statement that they were aggrieved by the taxation levied upon them by the British..

They also voted and resolved that thy would not purchase any imported goods from England or Ireland and would not export flax seed to certain ...etc.

Tax on Tea:
They specifically would not purchase any British tea from any vendor, as well.

In January, a meeting was held, and 57 women were present.

Strong patriotic action was taken. The pledged to abandon tea drinking until the unjust act was repealed.

1774
John Cotton preached to the Indians at Acushnet.

The natives were being pressured to follow the European's religious views.

1775 April 19 the British attacked Lexington and Concord
"The Britishers are coming!".

On the night of Paul Revere's famous ride, one of the riders came from Boston and, rode down Acushnet Avenue to the village. Announcing a call to arms.

The war had begun.

On April 21, 1775
Three companies of minute men marched out of Dartmouth and went into camp in Roxbury.

The call had gone out all around New England, and in three days twenty thousand Americans had gathered about Boston eager to fight for liberty.

1775
On the 5th of May, Captain Linzee of the British Ship Falcon captured two sloops from Bedford Village, but the Bedford Village people fitted out 2 sloops with 30 men and recaptured the 2 vessels with 15 British aboard.

In the action 1 British soldier died and 3 were wounded afterwards 13 prisoners of that action were sent to Cambridge.